The Jewish people and the land
The recent events in Israel have found many of us wondering who the Jews are and why the land they are fighting over is so significant. In fact, we struggle to see how the Jewish people, especially those in newly formed Israel, fit in with end-time events.
End-time Biblical prophecies
There are many, many passages of Biblical prophecy (about 150 chapters) which have not been fulfilled in their fullness and have to do with the end-times, such as
the rebuilding of the Jewish temple,
the 7-year tribulation period,
the beast and his temporary kingdom,
the return of Jesus,
the 1000 year reign of Christ,
the New Jerusalem, and
the promises to the people called ‘the Jews’ or the nation of Israel.
The promises of God to the Jewish people
Consider the promises made to the people called ‘the Jews.’ If you make a promise to a child, parent, friend, or a bank, to do something and you do it, not just once, but consistently, you would be called faithful. God made promises to the Jews that are known as covenants.
The promise to be a blessing
Covenants, to God, are solemn promises backed by His eternal faithfulness. There are two covenants which are pertinent to understanding the Jewish people and ‘the land.’ First, God made promises to Abram, the first Jew.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3
God promises to make Abraham a great nation and a blessing. Those who bless Abraham’s name will be blessed, those who curse him will be cursed.
The promise of land
Second, God promises Abram (later called Abraham) ‘the land’ upon which this great nation would live. Genesis 12:7, 13:14-17, 15:18
The Lord lays before Abraham a troubling prophecy in Genesis 15:13-14. Abraham’s descendants will be slaves in another nation (Egypt) for 400 years and then come back to ‘the land’ with great possessions. This included about 2 million people that crossed the Red Sea with Moses. But, again, the people returned to ‘the land.’
This ‘land’ promise, whether called Israel, Jerusalem, or ‘the land,’ is mentioned well over 4,000 times in the Bible! The Jewish people cannot be separated from ‘the land.’
The promises are the foundation
The rest of the Bible is built upon the Abrahamic covenant. The covenant to Abraham was and is unilateral. That means that God will fulfill his promises to Israel and the Jewish people regardless of their effort to run from Him, their current lack of faith, or how this current war with Hamas plays out.
The three covenants that come after the one God made with Abraham, which are the Mosaic, the Davidic, and the New Covenant, only confirm and build on the first, with Abraham. In fact, page after page of our holy Bible is built upon the covenant promises made to Abraham over 3,500 hundred years ago.
What Paul said about the Jewish people
Here is Paul’s final word on this subject of the Jewish people:
All Israel Will Be Saved
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27 [emphasis added]
Paul finishes his treatise on the Jewish people with his mind blown and says this:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36
Remember
The Jewish people cannot be separated from ‘the land.’ God has promised—made an eternal covenant—that
Israel will be a blessing to the peoples of the earth, and that
Israel will have the land given to them by God.
Bless the Jewish people and you will be blessed. Curse them and you will be cursed. So bless Israel right now. Not that their actions are always right, they are not. But we agree with God and bless Abraham’s descendants. And we will be blessed in return. Stand with Israel—and when the tide turns, still be found standing with Israel.
If you would like to know more about Israel, and the current conflict over ‘the land,’ we suggest watching this following short video teaching, given on October 13th, 2023, during a prayer meeting at the International House of Prayer (one of our Ministry Friends) in Kansas City, MO.
